Page 18 - Sept24T

Across the North Atlantic:
A Journey to see the Isle of Man TT
by Bill Frank
The “gear heads” ready to go (author center)
Crossing the North Atlantic in a single-engine plane, turboprop or piston, is not for everyone.
Indeed, there are those who do it for a living and others who would not even consider it. For this group, it was a bucket list item and a means to accomplish a second bucket list item, that being attending arguably the most exciting motorcycle race in the world on the Isle of Man, sit- ting between Northern Ireland and Scotland. The plan began to gel with a group of like-minded pilots who were also “gearheads” and proceeded
in earnest about eight months prior to race time scheduled for the last week of May into the first week of June. Advanced planning for a trip like this is absolutely necessary not just because of the risk factors but more so to ensure the logistics all fall into place. To attend a race like this, you first have to get there.
The Airplane
As an instructor for Epic Aircraft, I hooked up with a new owner of a beautiful E1000 GX, the ideal air- craft for the trip. The trip was on the
owner’s to-do list, and the plane had room for all five adults and 129 lbs. of survival gear. With nearly 1100 pounds of full-fuel useful load, the aircraft was roomy and comfortable for the long-distance trip, and every leg was accomplished with more than adequate fuel reserves. With 1200 shaft horsepower available for takeoff and max continuous of 1000 shaft horsepower, along with reverse pitch (or Beta), it gave us plenty of options for diversion airports along the way. Most of the trip was flown outbound at flight level 340, with the return at
16 • TWIN & TURBINE / September 2024